JakartaPost/Reuters-Sept 7, 2022
People rallied in the country’s biggest cities on Tuesday, demanding the government reverse its decision to raise subsidized fuel prices as they claimed the price hike would hurt low-income households. In Jakarta, the protests were concentrated in front of the House of Representatives building, spearheaded by several labor organizations and the Labor Party, which was founded last year by prominent labor union leader Said Iqbal and which has registered to field candidates for the 2024 general election. In front of hundreds of workers, Said said that labor unions would continue to hold nationwide protests until the end of the year if the government did not revoke its decision, which came amid rising food costs and with the economy still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s clear that the government did not consider [the impact of subsidized fuel price increases] on farmers, fishermen and workers,” he said, adding that Tuesday’s rallies also took place in around 20 other provinces. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration said it had no choice but to cut fuel subsidies of Pertalite gasoline and Solar diesel brands on Saturday to rein in ballooning energy subsidies despite the risk of mass protests. Subsidized fuel prices are a sensitive issue in the country and have traditionally spelled trouble for Indonesia’s presidents. But the Jokowi administration has laid out the groundwork to soften the blow by announcing the roll out of a series of social aid packages worth Rp 24.17 trillion (US$1.62 billion), including direct cash transfers. This, according to some political analysts, gives Jokowi a chance to recover from any potential hit to his approval ratings and maintain political stability if he manages to distribute social aid effectively and evenly. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/09/06/rallies-held-in-major-cities-to-oppose-fuel-price-hike.html.
